Weekly Prayer Thought

Then Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people. But when He saw the multitudes, He was moved with compassion for them, because they were weary and scattered, like sheep having no shepherd. Then He said to His disciples, "The harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest."
Matthew 9.35-38

Think about what Jesus did in this passage. He taught the people in their community synagogues. He preached to them. He healed all their illnesses and diseases. He had compassion on them. Jesus was not afraid to "mix it up" with the people. He was involved in the lives of those that he cared about. Note especially that he had compassion on them. He cared for their needs. He was not simply ministering because it was his responsibility. He loved people. This is a great lesson that each of us needs to learn and practice.

Think about what Jesus said in this passage. He said that there were many people who need to hear the gospel, too many for the available workers. We need to pray that God will send more workers so that the harvest can be brought in. Although Jesus gave this word to his disciples over 2000 years ago, it still applies to us.

We need to pray:

• That God will raise up and send out people to work in the ministry so that the harvest will not be lost.
• That God will prepare the lives and the hearts of those who need to hear the message of the gospel.
• That God will work in our hearts, so that we can be more effective in sharing our faith with others.

PRAYER: Jesus, you have placed a great responsibility on us. Remind us of our duty to share with those around us, and to encourage others to share as well. Call your people to do your work of evangelism and make them effective as they share their faith. Work in the lives of those who need to hear your word. Work in our lives and be exalted in our world. In the name of Christ. Amen.